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Overview

As an old woman's lifeless body lies on a cold stone floor, her soul stands before an angel who offers her a miraculous opportunity: the chance to do it all again. But that is easier said than done. In order to change the path her life has taken, she must put aside years of self-loathing and pain, so she can help the young girl she once was become the woman she should have been.

At 17 years old, Grace Bennett is a bitter young woman. Though blessed with a loving family, looks and brains to spare, she hides her light under a bushel, spending most of her time in the darkness of her mind with little more than sarcasm and self-pity to keep her company.

But things are about to change for Grace. While delivering food for her family's bed and breakfast, she turns onto a desolate dirt road and drives straight into her destiny.

It's on this isolated country lane that the damaged girl meets a strangely familiar old couple and two mysterious young men. Together the group fights the demons that surround Grace, and they teach her what it means to let her light shine.

"Illuminating Gracie" is, at once, a metaphorical tale of the fight between good and evil and a spiritual saga of one girl's journey from darkness into the light. If you liked "Twilight" and "The Hunger Games," you will love the story of Gracie.

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Product Details

About the Author

Lisa Temple is a lifetime resident of Montgomery, Alabama, where she lives with her husband, Dana, with whom she has one son, Temp. She also has two stepchildren, Candice and Chad. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Huntingdon College and a Juris Doctorate from Thomas Goode Jones School of Law. Lisa also shares her life with her beloved animals: Phebe, Flash and Minx.

Editorial Reviews

2013-09-01In Temple's debut YA fantasy novel, a young woman contends with angels, battles demons, and learns to love herself and others. When 17-year-old Grace Bennett arrives at a mysterious mansion, she doesn't realize that the course of her life is about to change dramatically. The shrewish Mrs. B. and her companion, Willem, offer her summer employment as Mrs. B's assistant.The new job saves her from working for her "goody-two-shoes" brother and "holier-than-thou" sister-in-law, so Grace happily accepts--despite the fact that two elderly strangers mysteriously seem to know everything about her. It soon becomes clear that Grace relies on sarcasm and reckless behavior to push people away and mask her own insecurities; she also displays compulsive behaviors, such as obsessive counting and checking rituals, to calm herself. In spite of her quirks, though, she's a likable character, and in her better moments, her sarcasm turns into creative wit. During her new job, she meets Merc, a bewitching young man, and Locke, who claims to be Willem's grandson. She soon realizes that her new acquaintances are far more than meets the eye and that she needs to learn to trust them. She soon risks losing herself in a literal battle between angels and demons--and each of her new companions will play a crucial role in helping her set things right. As Temple shows Grace begin to mature, she satisfyingly allows her to keep enough of her edgeto keep her from becoming a flavorless heroine; Grace's realistic spiritual improvementis neither immediate nor complete. The author also makes sure that the other characters are equally dynamic. The angels, for example, don't always behave angelically, often demonstrating arrogance and other faults, and the demons aren't always as wicked as readers might expect. A well-paced fantasy story of redemption and self-improvement.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

If you could see where you are forty years from now what would you change? Gracie is believable, her struggles are real. The supernatural beings that come into play keep this book moving with twists and turns. They are described in detail that make you see them as you read about what they are doing. I read somewhere that this is the author's first book, if so, she is a talented writer. This book will keep you wonder what happens next, and who the good guys really are!

Cymberle

More than 1 year ago

I recommend Illuminating Gracie to everyone high school and up that enjoys a deep, reflective story. The novel is well written, using amazing imagery and imagination.

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

Beautiful book. Well written and very exciting. Funny in some places and sad and scary in others. Good for teens and older adults, too. HIghly recommend.

SabrinaNedeleaSN

More than 1 year ago

I received this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you so much Itching for Books and Lisa Temple for the chance of reading Illuminating Gracie.
I thought this is going to be another book about an obnoxious teenager. Guess who was wrong?! I couldn't believe how perfect the story is written. Everyone had moments in they're life where they just want to go back in time and redo something. We wished it so hard and still nothing. So we accept the situation. But, this isn't the case. We have in this story Grace, a seventeen years old girl who has had enough bad luck and suffering to last her a life time. She doesn't have strength to do anything at all, school isn't great because she can't concentrate and she has a bad impression about herself. No matter what she does, Grace hates her life and she wants to change it. When she gets the chance tot change everything she doesn't waste any time!
I don't know how to even describe this book to do it justice. It is just a great story! The author really managed to describe Grace so perfectly I thought I knew her for a long time and I could understand what she was going through. When I started reading the book I didn't know this was going to be such an amazing journey! The book really teaches you something about life! You should give it a chance because you won't regret it! I highly recommend it!

AmandaP2012

More than 1 year ago

I found this book to be wonderfully well written. The author has a talent at drawing you in to the story with such clear descriptions of the surroundings that you feel that you are there. The way she has written the characters make them feel real to you as you read.
I loved Gracie from the moment she thought that she was just a pair of stiletto heels and a tube top from a bad b movie! Then she checked to see if her shoes were tied good in case she had to run from werewolves or zombies! Yep, that would have kept me reading if I hadn't already wanted to know what was going to happen. This was in the beginning of the book, and it just kept getting better from there.
I love that this character has her problems that I don't actually come across in most of the books she reads. I am all to familiar with OCD. I live with a house full of people that suffer from it to some degree. I recognized and connected with her immediately. While I never have the need to check under my bed multiple times or to countdown to de-stress, I have had to live with a person that goes into high gear obsessive cleaning sprees that can last for hours if not days. I have had the child that had to compulsively rearrange his furniture as soon as he was old enough to move it himself. So I started off feeling an emotional attachment to Gracie.
Plus her worries about her weight and her lack of social standing are so real. I suffered through high school as well feeling like the fat outcast with no friends but the one pity friend. Of course I am still friends with her today, so obviously she wasn't a pity friend, but when you are in high school you see things differently.
OK I will stop talking about myself and get back to the book. Everything that I have been talking about that attracted me to this character and this book are in the very first chapter. Imagine how eagerly read the rest of the book and how much I enjoyed it more when Angels and Demons and hunky guys cropped up!
This book is a must read for just about anybody. It might be a little slow at first, but it picks up. The characters are well developed, you can feel emotionally connected to them. The writing is wonderfully descriptive and engaging. I think this is a great book and I look forward to reading more from this author. OH! And the ending! I wish I could tell you about it. It was really well done. Just read it and you'll find out.
Disclaimer: I received a copy free for reviewing purposes. Regardless, all opinions are my own. I was not required to write a positive review.

IHOP

More than 1 year ago

*I received a copy in exchange for an honest review*
Where do I start: the great story, the hunky boy, or the brilliant main character?
To be honest, it started out a bit slow for me. But that ended quickly. Real quickly.
The first thing that pulled me in was Gracie (the main character). It's in first person point of view so you really get to explore and learn about Grace. And boy was she written to perfection. Usually I don't like the main character because I learn all of their flaws, but Gracie had so much wit and sarcasm about her you couldn't help but like her. As you go through the book, you notice Gracie working to overcome her shortcomings, and it just makes you enjoy her fictional company even more.
Next, I met the hunky boy. Well, ok, there were two of them, but only one made me swoon. And that was Merchison Spear (just his name sends shivers down my spine :P). He, being the gentleman he is, comes to the rescue and saves Gracie from being lost in the woods real early in the story. And from then on it's just one swoon after another. Plus, him and the other hunky boy (Locke)......let's just say the tension is palpable. And no, it's not a love triangle people. I promise.
It's synopsis time!
Gracie is a 17 year old, not much to look at, and rather paranoid. She works at her brother and sister-in-law's B&amp;B, which results in her meeting the mysterious Mrs.B, hunky Merch, hunky Locke, and lovable Willem. Who knew delivering food could change your life forever. And I'm not even exaggerating. All of a sudden, she's changing (not the puberty kind, but the stronger, faster, generally more powerful kind). And, to balance out all the good things happening to her, a demon is after Gracie. So not ideal. But, with the help of her new found friends, Gracie sets out to face down not only this demon, but her own personal ones.....which results in a lot of demons. And once she goes face to face with her own demons, it's one on one. Hardcore.
I know that was a very general summary, but I don't want to give anything away!!
This story has a brilliant message. It's so true and so helpful in life (i know I used &quot;so&quot; a lot, but it so adds emphasis :P). I'll let you figure out the message for yourself.
And also, the ENDING!!! OMG I did not see that coming. Literally the last page, I yelled &quot; TWIST&quot;
Anywho, buy it, read it, love it, wait for the sequel!!!
Happy Reading!!!!

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